In archery, it is well-known that a nock is associated with the rearmost portion of an arrow, cross-bow bolt, and the like. A bowstring fits into the nock and propels the arrow from the bow upon release. With the advent of translucent plastic nocks, along with the advent of small-profile light emitting diode (“LED”) and battery assemblies, it was recognized that the tail portion of an arrow could be lighted by fitting an LED/battery assembly within the translucent nock. It was recognized, advantageously, that such a lighted nock could provide a means to track arrow flight and targeting, such as may be useful at night, in low light conditions, or in poor visibility situations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,930, issued by Jul. 20, 1982 to Carissimi, and United States Patent Application Publication US 2012/0100942 by Minica, published Apr. 26, 2012, provide examples of such products. Disadvantageously, such products typically are formed in integral units, wherein a user cannot substitute a nock or an LED/battery assembly of his own choosing. Rather, a user is captive to a particular manufacturer's device construction, nock and LED color selections, and product availability. Additionally, due to the sealed and/or closed nature of such devices, switching off the LED/battery assembly after activation can sometimes be difficult and can tax one's dexterity—especially in field-use conditions.
It would be preferable to provide a user with a lighted nock configuration that provides a more universal construction, whereby a user conveniently may gain access to the working components, whereby those components may be transferred to other arrows, whereby the user may substitute nocks and LED/battery assemblies of his choice, and whereby the user can more easily access the LED/battery assembly to activate and deactivate the assembly without undue difficulty—all in field-use conditions.
It is to the disclosure of such devices and related processes of use that the following is directed.